Hagel Seeks to Reach Every Senator in Confirmation Fight

By Laura Litvan and Susan Decker -
Jan 15, 2013

(Corrects year Hagel was McCain’s campaign co-chairman in
14th paragraph.)

Chuck Hagel has set out to contact
all 100 members of the U.S. Senate in a push to win confirmation
as secretary of defense by rebutting criticism that he’s “anti-
Israel” and not tough enough on Iran.

Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, was
scheduled to meet yesterday with Senator Charles Schumer of New
York, the No. 3 Senate Democratic leader and a supporter of
Israel who has said he needs to hear Hagel respond to questions
before deciding whether to support him.

Hagel plans to hold dozens of such meetings in advance of
hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee, according
to an adviser who asked not to be identified describing the
confirmation tactics. Hagel will discuss his record and issues
that he would deal with if he succeeds the retiring Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta, the adviser said.

Hagel, 66, came under attack from Republicans, including
Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John Cornyn of
Texas, even before President Barack Obama announced the choice
on Jan. 7. Cornyn and at least two other Republicans have
already said they will oppose the nomination.

Critics cite past statements by Hagel describing the
influence of the “Jewish lobby” in Washington, warning that an
attack on Iran’s nuclear program may be ineffective and opposing
unilateral sanctions against Iran.

Schumer’s eventual decision will play a significant role in
determining whether Hagel can overcome the criticism, said Jim Manley, a Democratic former aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Articulating ‘Concerns’

“He’s a senior member of the Democratic leadership and a
strong advocate of Israel,” Manley, a senior director at the
Washington-based government relations firm Quinn Gillespie &
Associates, said of Schumer. “He is articulating the concerns
of some Democrats and Republicans as well.”

Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, said last
night she planned to support the nomination, citing telephone
conversations with Hagel and a “detailed written response” to
her questions that she received yesterday.

“First and foremost, he has pledged without reservation to
support President Obama’s polices -- policies that I believe
have made our world safer and our alliances stronger,” Boxer
said in an e-mailed statement.

Boxer said that she asked Hagel about several issues,
including Iran and U.S. relations with Israel, as well as
treatment of women and gays in the military. “His answers were
reassuring and show a sensitivity and understanding,” she said
in the statement.

‘Superbly Qualified’

Hagel’s supporters are working to catch up with the
campaign by critics, which has included a cable-television ad in
the Washington area. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said
on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Jan. 13 that Hagel, a twice-wounded
Vietnam War veteran, is “superbly qualified” to run the
Pentagon.

“He is a very strong supporter of the state of Israel,”
said Powell, a Republican who backed Obama’s re-election. “It
doesn’t mean you have to agree with every single position the
Israeli government takes.”

Most Republicans are holding back for now. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, said Jan.13 on ABC’s “This Week” that
Hagel’s “overall temperament” will be weighed by senators, as
will as his stance on Iran and Israel. Corker said he will meet
with Hagel this week.

‘Legitimate Questions’

Senator John McCain, who like Hagel is a Republican Vietnam
veteran, declined to say whether he would vote for or against
Hagel. Hagel was co-chairman of McCain’s unsuccessful 2000
campaign for president.

McCain said Jan. 13 on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program
that he has “legitimate questions that need to be asked,”
including about Hagel’s views on “America’s role in the
world,” whether he still believes the troop surge in Iraq was a
blunder, and why he opposed a resolution calling Iran’s
revolutionary guard a terrorist group.

In a Jan. 7 interview, Hagel told his hometown paper, the
Lincoln Journal Star, that there is “not one shred of evidence
that I’m anti-Israeli, not one vote that matters that hurt
Israel.” He said he declined to “sign on to certain
resolutions and letters because they were counter-productive and
didn’t solve a problem.”

Hagel’s close relationship with Obama would be an asset,
Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island who serves on
the Armed Services Committee, said on “This Week.”

‘Truth to Power’

“Chuck has the wherewithal and the ability to speak truth
to power,” Reed said of Hagel. “He’s demonstrated that
throughout his entire career. That is a value that is
extraordinarily important to the president, and I think he
recognizes that, and I think that will be one of his virtues as
secretary of defense.”

Tara Andringa, a spokeswoman for the Armed Services panel,
said in an e-mailed statement Jan. 11 that Hagel’s nomination
hearing is likely to be in late January or early February.

“The White House can’t nominate him until the Senate comes
back into session,” she said. That won’t occur until after the
Inauguration next week. Senator Carl Levin, the Michigan
Democrat who leads the panel, plans to set the hearing
“quickly” after receiving the nomination, Andringa said.

The Senate intelligence committee has scheduled a hearing
for Feb. 7 on Obama’s choice of John Brennan as director of the
Central Intelligence Agency, the panel’s chairman, Democratic
Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, said yesterday in an e-
mailed statement.